Introducing: The World's Worst Workout

The fitness trend not to try

Important meetings. Dates at swanky restaurants. Heck, even outdoor picnics. For high heel aficionados, a towering shoe can work in pretty much any scenario. Better to be overdressed than underdressed, right? But please, trust us: You don't want to start wearing 'em to the gym.

Yes, high heel workouts are now a bonafide trend. According to a recent report from The Wall Street Journal, a growing number of fitness classes (including "Stiletto Strength" and "Heel Hop") are orienting themselves around breaking a sweat while wearing sky-high footwear. Proponents of the programs claim that the classes help women practice walking in high heels, and even target muscle groups required for a picture-perfect sashay. But we had to ask: Is this really such a good idea?

The quick answer: Nope. “High heel shoes transfer weight to the ball of the foot and force the ankle to point down,” says Michael J. Trepal, DPM, a specialist in podiatric medicine and professor of surgical sciences at the New York College of Podiatric Medicine. “This position is known to cause ankle sprains.” Plus, when the heel is elevated, the Achilles tendon contracts. That can cause equinus, a condition that limits the motion of your foot and forces you to walk in a tiptoe position.

We’re not telling you to ditch your go-to pumps, but Dr. Trepal sees no benefit to exercising in them. (Think about it: Practice doesn’t always help—even models take spills due to stilettos.) If you really insist on exercising in such high-end footwear, he suggests shoes that offer substantial ground contact—meaning no pin-thin heels. And take extra care to stretch your Achilles tendon: Stand facing a wall, place the toes of one foot on the wall, and lean into it while keeping your knee straight.